Reinterred: Stetchworth Walk

Today was the first Thursday of the month and so time for the monthly U3A Bury St Edmunds Longer Walks Group outing. This month, we crossed the border into Cambridgeshire for a walk among the villages and horsy establishments south of Newmarket.

This was the invite from Wendie.

"I have planned a walk from Stetchworth to the South of Newmarket. Its about 10 miles in total. We can all park at the Ellesmere Centre Ley Road Stetchworth CB8 9TS. Boots on ready to go at 9.45am

I have checked with the village hall office and we are welcome to park there , there is actually a little post office and shop there if you want to stock up on snacks. (No sandwiches though so don’t forget your lunch). Please can you park as far away from the building as possible down near the Astro Turf as they are quite busy on a Thursday.

The walk takes in Wooditton and Kirtling and uses part of the Stour Valley path, we also cross the Devils Dyke, and can walk a short section of it if we really want to! At the end of the walk we will go to the Wavertree Café at the National Stud CB8 9TS. This is just a couple of miles north of the walk – we can head there in convoy if you aren’t familiar with those parts."

Just the five of us today and we had a lovely day for our walk - mild for February and plenty of golden wintery sunshine. This was our route...

...after twisting Wendie's arm to let us walk on from the church in Kirtling for an extra circumnavigation of Kirtling Tower, of which more anon.

We were all there and ready to walk in good time so set off a few minutes early. Here are a few of my photos.

Wendie giving us our briefing at the start,

That's our path.

We were soon out in the country with big fields, big views and lovely wide grassy paths.

It wasn't far until we crossed the Devil's Dyke. Was it really over 3 years since I'd walked it? Yes it was December 2019 (see here).

"Devil's Dyke is the largest of several earthworks in south Cambridgeshire that were designed to control movement along the ancient Roman roads. When it was created, it completely blocked a narrow land corridor between the southern edge of a region of water-logged marsh (now known as The Fens) in the north-west and dense woodlands in the south, so making circumvention difficult and forming an effective defensive barrier for the lands to the east. The dyke crossed three important Roman roads, including the ancient Icknield Way, and may thus have served as a way of controlling trade and movement in and out of the area."

We could see its route carrying on to the north-west as we continued north-east.

I stopped here to see if I could see Ely Cathedral. I wasn't sure as I peered through my camera lens at high magnification, but yes, looking a the resulting phot, there it is on the horizon!

I was a bit behind the rest of the group now, but they stopped when they reached the path ahead to admire the rolling countryside (and posed for the photo at the top of the post).

Our drinks stop was at the Grade I listed St. Mary's Church. Woodditton. (You can see the Historic England listing here). The octagonal tower is quite distinctive. As the church site states...

"The Church stands three quarters of a mile from the main village centre and is set in peaceful rural surroundings with fine old horse-chestnut trees growing in the churchyard.

Its origins go back to the 12th century when it is believed to have been a wooden building but evidence has been uncovered pointing to the existence of a small monastery on the site, pre-dating the church. Like most old churches it has been altered or added to over the centuries but the pointed arch doors and windows date the present structure to the Early Gothic period.

Inside there is a fine rood screen, separating the nave from the chancel. At the foot of the tower are iron gates with brass bosses. There are some alabaster figures dating from the 13th century that were disfigured during the Cromwell purges. In the south aisle are brasses of Henry English and his wife dated 1393. He is represented in plate armour, mail gorget and pointed helmet, with a lion at his feet."

I picked up a leaflet in the church saying restoration work to the tower will begin this month. The 5 bells are in good order and they are recruiting for the new bellringing team with a target of ringing the church bells for the coronation of King Charles III on the 4th May.

Here is a view inside the church showing the rood screen. You can read more about the history of the village and church here.

After our coffees, we headed onwards towards Kirtling. We met a couple of friendly kids... no not the sort who should be in school.

We were in stud country here. I liked these trees silhouetted against the sky.

The paths were wide, green.

We eventually came across some horses in one of the paddocks.

Nearing Kirtling, we got a glimpse of the Catholic Church and Norman Tower.

We turned to pass Our Lady Immaculate and St. Phillip church...

...and shortly afterwards arrived at All Saints Church, our lunch stop.

Look what we found in the grounds!

This is the Norman south doorway, complete with a very ancient door. Much of the rest of the building is 16th century, including the North Chapel (actually the south chapel). Above the door in the tympanum is a intense and primitive Norman sculpture of Christ in Majesty, sitting on a rainbow.

This remarkable monument is to Roger, 2nd Lord North. It consists of six elaborately carved pillars that support a canopy, on top of which is a brightly painted, box like structure with yet more elaborate carvings, including coats of arms and figures. The whole structure looks rather like an over the top wedding cake. Beneath it is a tomb chest on which lies an effigy of Lord North. At his feet is a snarling dragon with a curly tail. Read all about the North family here.

You can read more about the history here and see the Historic England Listing for the Church (again Grade I), here.

Just over the wall of the churchyard is the moat surrounding Kirtling Tower. Kirtling Tower is all that now remains of the moated Kirtling Hall, which was built during the early 15th century. The tower, the original gatehouse, was retained when the rest of the house was demolished in 1801.

We persuaded Wendie to alter her planned route to walk along the moat and loop back round instead of returning the way we had come.

Looking back at the church.

As this site says...

"What we know today as Kirtling Tower was built as the gatehouse to Kirtling Hall in the 1530s by Edward North. However, the history of the site goes back much further. The first documents refer to Kirtling castle in 1219. Later references indicate that it had a moat crossed by a bridge in 1260 and an encircling ditch and palisade in 1310.

In 1337 it was described as a ‘forcelet’ suggesting that it did not have stone defences and keep. The wall was repaired in 1392. The only buildings recorded before 1400 were ‘ruined and wasted houses’.

The castle was lived in at various times during the 13th and 14th Centuries. In the early 15th Century it included hall, kitchen and chapel and a ‘longhouse’ outside the moat. In 1424 a new hall was built inside the moat for the earl of Warwick by a carpenter from Saxon Street using 100 oaks and 10 ashes from Kirtling park. The architect’s specification included a parlour, solar and two chambers at the east end and a pantry, buttery and a passage leading to a kitchen. By then there were several other buildings within the moat. In 1528 Robert Brown kept the use of the parlour and two chambers, but rented out the rest of the house to a man from Little Bradley."

You can read more about the Tower here, and the fascinating history of Kirtling here.

As we looped round past these terraced houses....

...we got a view of the Tower from the other side.

Now it was time to head back, but going south-west first along Kirtling Brook towards the River Stour which we crossed and recrossed at a couple of the weirs.